PETE PETERSENjoined the Kriegsmarine in 1942 and after extensive training and schooling, he was assigned to U-518 under command of Captain F. W. Wißmann about August 1943. This was after the terrible “Black May” or “Stalingrad at Sea” as it was often called. He rode U-518 for three major missions of about four months each for a total of 333 days at sea. During one of these missions, they placed an agent ashore in Canada, a very ineffective agent, and they also landed a remote weather reporting station on the coast which remained there, undisturbed, until FRANZ SELINGER(505-1988) found it in the early 1990’s.

PETE left U-518 to attend officer’s school for training as L.I.(Chief Engineer). While he was in school, U-518 went back to sea where she was sunk with all hands by USS CARTER(DE 112) and USS NEAL A. SCOTT(DE 769)with the loss of all hands… less than two weeks before the surrender order was given. PETE emigrated to the United States in 1950, became a citizen where he was active in politics and civil affairs and he hosted his own talk radio show.